The present invention is in the technical field of a cam guard apparatus, and more particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of a cam guard apparatus that is mountable on a lower limb of a compound bow to prevent injury to the bow, user and other components on the bow such as the cam.
Compound bows are used in archery for sport and hunting. Though efforts have been made to make the compound bow light and durable, carrying a compound bow for extended periods of time can be tiring. Archers or shooters often have to walk long distances or sit in tree stands or blinds for extended periods of time. As periods of fatigue arise, the archer must be cautious about setting his compound bow on any surface as damage may occur to the cam (or pulley) or the limb of the compound bow. It is important to avoid contact with any surface so that the shooting string does not become contaminated and that the cam is not bent out of alignment. Either of these actions can alter the accuracy and propulsion strength of the compound bow. It is also important to protect the lower cam on a compound bow from anything before, during and after the shot to avoid injury to the bow, shooting string or the shooter.
To cure this problem, several devices have been developed but have their own shortcomings. For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. D530,387 (387 Patent) discloses a large cam guard for use on both limbs of the compound bow. For all practical purposes, the design is too large, heavy and cumbersome to be used on the compound bow as naturally as the compound bow was intended to be used. The large cam guard can be disruptive because of its large size. The cam guard disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,833 (833 Patent) is not compatible with the newer compound bows that employ larger and more complex cam systems. For the '833 Patent design to be used on today's compound bows, it would need to be made larger and would be heavy to be placed on a limb to be effective and useful.
Some prior attempts to protect the cam have created unintended consequences such as additional vibration that can affect the accuracy of the compound bow. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,680 (680 Patent) that discloses a flexible attachment that is used as a cam guard that is affixed on the front end of a lower limb of the compound bow. This flexible attachment is wide and extends downwardly and backwards to hover just below the cam. The shortcoming with this design is that it is affixed to the most flexible part of the limb and is prone to flap around. The cam guard disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. D568,435 (435 Patent) also suffers from the same vibration and flapping issue because it is also mounted on the most flexible part of the limb. This design is also noisy when an arrow is shot with it.
Another problem with previous cam guards is that there is not a cam guard on the market that protects the bow and the shooter in the event that the shooting string were to abruptly break when being pulled. If the shooting string were to break, the shooting string rapidly loses tension causing the bow to dry fire that results in the limbs flapping about uncontrollably. Also, there are times when the shooter can cut the string with the broadhead on an arrow. That activity happens when loading an arrow into the bow and cause the bow to dry fire. This action can harm the bow and can harm the shooter.
Thus, there is a need for a cam guard apparatus that protects the cam from coming into contact with a ground surface when the shooter wants to set the bow on the ground surface. The cam guard apparatus should be small and sturdy to prevent vibrations, yet is able to flex slightly. Furthermore the cam guard apparatus should connect to a part of the limb that is less likely to flap and cause vibration. Moreover, there is a need for the cam guard apparatus that minimizes the negative consequences if the shooting string were to break when pulled that can result in harm to the bow and the shooter himself. And there is a need to prevent the bow from dry firing that can also cause harm to the bow and the shooter.